Real Destination Wedding In Paphos, Cyprus: Maria & Justin

Secret Valley Golf Club, Paphos, Cyprus - 19 September 2015

The Beginning

I went for a spontaneous supper on a cold winters night with my two sisters to the restaurant where Justin was working as a general manager, and I guess we met properly then. He was friends with my brother, but never once met him through my brother. But I had my eye on him from the summer ;)

The Proposal

We had gone on our first couple’s holiday together to Cancun, Mexico. It was my dream/on my bucket list to swim with dolphins. When I was done swimming with the dolphins he had arranged with the team to incorporate the dolphins into the proposal, by putting the ring in a capsule with flowers and lots of selotape around it to seal it! He had the dolphin swim and bring the capsule to me. And that’s when he proposed, once I managed to open it and saw what was inside.

The Destination

Set in a valley, it was a great backdrop for a memorable wedding. They had recently renovated the golf course and had provided a new outdoor space for events, which was perfect because we have always wanted an outdoor wedding. This was Justin’s most liked course where he played golf, so we knew of the venue and the quality of the food was great too.

The Ceremony

Being a Greek Orthodox it was inevitable that I would get married in a church, as I was also baptized in a church. Luckily Justin was also baptized in a Catholic church which allowed us to get married in one. A Greek wedding ceremony in a church is very formal and traditional, and has a lot of rituals, which for us was probably the most nervous part of the wedding.

The Celebration

Once we had greeted all the guests we were ready to celebrate the night. The music was great (DJ Boo), the food was great, the guests had fun using the inflatable Photo booth, and the venue was ideal for an outdoor wedding and of course our photographer who came all the way from South Africa, captured some fun and special moments.

The Destination Wedding Experience

If you can afford a destination wedding then it can be a very memorable and romantic experience. You can have your honeymoon at the same place where you are getting married.